What Is HD?

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and has no cure.

Find Help

Locate HDSA Chapters and Affiliates, Support Groups, Social Workers, and Centers of Excellence in your area as well as additional local medical, legal, social, and therapeutic resources for people with HD and their families.

HD Research

Since 1999, the Huntington’s Disease Society of America has committed more than $20 million to fund research, with the goal of finding effective treatments to slow Huntington’s disease. Our research efforts have helped to increase the number of scientists working on HD and have shed light on many of the complex biological mechanisms involved.

Healthcare Professional resources

This section includes online courses for physicians, social workers and therapists who care for people with HD at the local level. Courses deal with cognitive, physical, therapeutic, technological and legal HD issues among other topics. This section also includes reference materials in video and PDF format for Social Workers on HD issues listed by varied categories.

GET INVOLVED

When Marjorie Guthrie founded our organization in 1967, her vow was to “do something” about this devastating disease. Today we continue her legacy by bringing together the entire community to provide help and hope to all families affected by Huntington’s disease. Listed here are some of the ways you can get involved in the fight against HD.

Huntington’s Disease Society of America Launches First “HD News” App

New York, NY (June 2014) – The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) announced today the launch of its new Huntington’s disease (HD) news app that is available for all mobile devices. The app was unveiled during the HDSA 29thAnnual Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Titled “HD News” and available through iTunes and Google Play, the free app provides up-to-date news and event information from HDSA.org, research summaries from HDBuzz.net, as well as the latest news related to HD drug discovery and development from Science Daily and Medical News Today.

“HD News is one stop shopping for everyone who follows Huntington’s disease science and related news,” said Louise Vetter, CEO of HDSA. “We’re excited to be able to provide the first customized news app for the HD community as we continue to look for new ways of bringing valuable information and support for families affected by Huntington’s disease.”

The app was custom designed for HDSA for Apptomics and made possible by an education grant from Auspex Pharmaceuticals.

Huntington’s disease is a rare, genetic neurodegenerative disease that progressively causes total physical and mental deterioration that begins during an individual’s prime working years. Every individual with HD will ultimately lose the ability to live independently and die from the disease. Currently, there is no cure for HD. Today, 30,000 Americans are known to have HD, and another 250,000 are considered ‘at risk’ of inheriting the disease from an affected parent. Each child of a person with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the fatal gene and everyone who carries the gene will develop the disease.

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is the premier nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by Huntington’s disease. From community services and education to advocacy and research, HDSA is the world’s leader in providing help for today and hope for tomorrow for people with Huntington’s disease and their families.

To learn more about Huntington’s disease and the work of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, visit www.hdsa.org or call 1-800-345-HDSA.